God

The God Particle

January 24, 2012

The God Particle

What is the fundamental element of existence? How was the universe created? These are the ultimate questions for scientists to uncover. Centuries of study and billions of dollars have been spent in attempts to understand these basic, yet complex, questions of life. Many theories have been presented, including one in the 1960s by physicist Peter Higgs and a team of scientists. In their search to understand how particles get their mass, they developed a theory that the Higgs boson, a subatomic particle that no one has ever even seen, is the key to understanding how the universe works.

Large Hadron Collider (IStockPhoto)

Since that time, scientists have worked to prove the theory, and as a recent article on CNN.com reports (What is the Higgs boson and why is it important? ), they have now found an indication that the Higgs boson particle actually exists. Because this particle is believed to exist everywhere, yet it has never been seen, it eventually got the nickname of the “God particle”.

Their research is being conducted by smashing protons against one another in the $10 billion Large Hadron Collider (see photo) in Switzerland. Interestingly, as exciting as it may be to finally uncover the Higgs boson, if they don’t see it, this contradicts decades old approaches to understanding the universe, and our existence may be even more complex than originally thought.

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Stress Test

August 20, 2011

Priscilla Archangel

Faith Based Leadership

Stress Test

Physical Stress

Several weeks ago I had my annual physical. This time it included a stress test because I hadn’t had one in over five years.The purpose of the stress test was basically to determine my general physical condition and the strength of my heart.To do this, they hooked me up to a machine via electrodes connected to various points on my chest and legs.They measured my heart rate, pulse and blood pressure while lying down, then put me on a treadmill.Over a period of 10 minutes, they increased the pace and the incline of the treadmill to measure my heart’s ability to withstand physical exertion or stress, taking measurements periodically during that time.By the end, I was gasping for breath and begging them to stop, but I passed with flying colors. That means my heart muscle is strong, blood is flowing through it normally, and I have little chance of having a heart attack in the near future.

(IStockPhoto)

Fiscal Stress

In a different environment, the European Banking Authority (EBA) recently administered a stress test to 90 banks across 21 countries to determine if they had the necessary capital to sustain an intense two year downturn.According to an article in the BusinessBanking Review, leading up to the test, the EBA permitted the banks to prepare for it by raising their capital positions. Ultimately however, eight banks failed, representing a total shortfall of 2.5B euros (over $3.5B).Sixteen more banks are reportedly on the brink of failure, and another 20 banks would have failed the test had it been conducted at the end of 2010, representing a shortfall of 26.8B euros ($38.5B).These results provide information to investors on the strength of the European Union banks, so that they can make informed investment and financial decisions.

Organizational Stress

Now the premise of a stress test is to determine the health of an individual or organization by simulating extreme pressure similar to that which could be experienced in real life. The results should be used to determine what needs to change to improve the ability to withstand the threats and pressures that exist. For instance, had I failed my stress test, the doctor would have given me specific instructions (dietary, exercise, etc.) on how to strengthen my heart muscle, might have prescribed drugs, and would have made sure that my coronary circulation was clear. The EBA in turn issued recommendations to the banks which failed its stress test regarding steps necessary to boost their capital position, and consequently avert failure or lack of funding.

As a leader, it’s important that you ensure your organization or team can withstand high stress situations. Stress may come in the form of crisis projects, absence or loss of key team members, leadership changes, quality spills, material supply shortages, or public relations dilemmas. To successfully survive these crises the team needs strong communication skills, broad understanding of everyone’s roles, knowledge of available resources, mutual trust and respect, strong decision-making capabilities, deep leadership talent, and a vision for the future.

Jesus prepared His leadership team for the stress that they would encounter as they ministered to others before and after His death. One moment people were praising Him as He rode by on a donkey, throwing their clothes on the ground along with palm branches, and saying “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Matt. 21:9 NKJV). Then within a few days, they saw Him snatched out of their midst and wrongly accused and mocked as the King of the Jews. One betrayed Him. Another denied Him. Others watched helplessly as they saw their leader brutally and horrifically beaten and crucified.Yet their organization didn’t fall apart. Jesus arose from the dead and commissioned them to go forward and continue His work. They boldly preached the gospel, risking and giving their lives to share it with others.

Jesus’ disciples passed their stress test. They survived the crisis, continued the work, exhibited strong leadership skills, and started the early church. He had prepared them for the work and showed them how to tap into the power of the Holy Spirit.

Are you prepared for your stress test? When crisis comes, and it will, can you remain focused to pursue God’s plan for your life? Will you continue to follow His commandments? Will you consistently display the love of God to others? Build your spiritual muscles now by digging into God’s Word daily, follow the instructions He provides, and build a storehouse of energy for Him.

Google God

April 3, 2011

Priscilla Archangel

Faith Based Leadership

Google God

Article first published as Google God on Technorati.

The digital age has greatly increased the amount of information the average human can access and consume. Today, we can sit down at our laptops, pull out our iPads, or walk along with our smart phones, and Google, Bing, or use any other search engine to inquire on a topic of interest. Answers to questions we wouldn’t even think of asking a decade ago, are now at our fingertips within seconds. All this serves to increase our curiosity level, and feed a desire for even more information. But how much information can we consume and store, and what do we really do with it all?

A recent study published in Science, and summarized by Carl Bialik in the Wall Street Journal (click here to read more) indicates that the world’s capability to store, communicate and compute information has grown by 23% each year since 1986. Search engines and other tools enable us to more easily filter and process this information. A further study at The University of Michigan found that in 2005 “people spend one minute consuming media for every 1,000 minutes available” which is about ten-fold the rate in 1960. This storage capability is measured in exabytes, which Google tells me is equivalent to one quintillion bytes. That’s the number one (1) with 18 zeros after it.

Istockphoto

But here’s the really amazing part. While we humans work to categorize, store, quantify and access all this information, God already holds all the information of the world’s past, present and future. He knows it, understands it, sorts it, applies it, and analyzes it, faster than we can imagine. He has videos of everything in our past and our future because He planned it and saw it happening.

We use search engines to access facts, information and opinions; concrete data that men and women use to manage their environment. God goes beyond that to store thoughts, feelings, purposes, plans and pursuits; the intimate details of the spirit of man. Even if I kept a journal of my life, I could never write down every experience, every thought, every desire that I’ve had throughout my life. Yet God knows it all, and He knows what’s best for me because He created me.

Often I wish that God had a search engine like Google that I could ask any question and get an immediate answer. I’d ask about the “whys” of my past, and the “whats” of my future; I’d ask about the “whens” of His provision, and the “hows” of His plans. The same overwhelming desire to access and consume data in the natural realm would quickly translate to the spiritual realm. But alas, it doesn’t work that way. God wants us to ask Him, but receiving the answer is our opportunity for growth, as we learn to listen to His voice; read His Word; and follow Him in new ways. Why can’t we just get an instant response from Him? Because we probably couldn’t handle it. Because His thoughts are so much higher than ours, His ways are so much higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9) that He has to prepare us for what He’s doing in our lives and for where He’s taking us. Our minds think simple thoughts in comparison to His, and would not be able to register what He was saying.

Consider Moses, whom the Lord spoke to from a burning bush about returning to Egypt to speak to Pharaoh about freeing the Israelites. Moses made multiple excuses for why he was the wrong man for the job. God became exasperated with him, finally telling him that his brother Aaron would assist him. He indeed went on to convey God’s message to the King of Egypt and eventually led a multitude of people out of Egypt toward the Promised Land.

When I began my career 28 years ago, I had no idea where it would take me. I had no concept of the things I would accomplish, the people I would meet and influence, the places I would work, or the leadership roles I would hold. I’m smart enough at this point to know that even though He’s given me a glimpse of my future, God hasn’t shared everything. I’m simply able to better trust and follow Him now, without a burning desire to know everything.

So I can Google God. I can ask Him any question I want. But I know His answer is a process that will come when I’m ready for it, and His answer is always perfect for me.

The God Particle

The God Particle

Stress Test

Stress Test

Google God

Google God

Leadership Tips